The gusty Santa Ana winds have not only heightened fire dangers in California, they have caused a number of big rigs to flip over on Interstate 15. At least five tractor trailers flipped over as shown in one video shared on Tuesday morning.

The winds triggered red flag warnings from the National Weather Service for the areas of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. Along with causing travel disruptions, the particularly strong winds in the Santa Clarita area have rapidly accelerated the growth of blazes like the Silverado Fire, which grew by over 7,000 acres on Monday.

Thick smoke continues to choke the air and tint the skies of Southern California as dozens of wildfires ravage the state. Video shot on Monday by AccuWeather Digital Journalist Adriana Navarro in Newport Beach, less than 50 miles from Los Angeles, captured the hazy conditions wafting out to the Pacific Ocean from the nearby Silverado and Blue Ridge fires.

Around 100,000 residents in Southern California have found themselves displaced by mandatory evacuations in response to the massive Silverado Fire and Blue Ridge Fire. According to The Associated Press, two firefighters were seriously injured battling the fast-moving blazes on Monday, which have been fueled by gusty winds and very low humidity. Electric supply company Southern California Edison said its equipment may have been responsible for sparking the fire, according to a report submitted to California’s Public Utilities Commission.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the two fires have burned over 18,000 acres with 5% containment on the Silverado Fire and 0% on the Blue Ridge Fire. Despite the widespread evacuations in highly-populated areas, only one home, in Yorba Linda, has been damaged thus far.

Two Orange County firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were critically injured in the fast-moving Silverado Fire in Santiago Canyon near Irvine, California. The wildfire has burned more than 4,000 acres, forcing more than 90,000 people to evacuate amid powerful Santa Ana winds. Both of the unidentified firefighters are covered in second and third-degree burns and were on ventilators, according to KCAL. The Silverado Fire was reported at 6:47 a.m. PDT and within about three hours it had exploded to 2,000 acres. According to Fire Chief Brian Fennessy, firefighters have zero containment as of Monday afternoon.

As heavy winds continue to whip through Southern California, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Los Angeles issued a rare ‘particularly dangerous situation’ warning for the region around the Los Angeles mountains. According to the NWS, the extremely dry conditions and howling winds could stir up “the most dangerous fire weather conditions since October 2019.”

According to the NWS, a wind gust of 96 mph was recorded on Monday morning in the San Gabriel Mountains. Such heavy winds have heightened fire worries and sparked a new blaze in the Santa Ana Mountains, according to the NWS office in San Diego. In a tweet, the office urged communities between Tustin and Foothill Ranch to stay vigilant, as heavy winds continue to gust in the immediate fire area.

Much of California is, or will be, under a Red Flag Warning on Sunday due to extreme fire weather conditions. In Northern California winds will likely reach 20-30 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. A Red Flag Warning has been issued starting Sunday night through Tuesday for a moderate to strong Santa Ana Wind event in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and Riverside where gusts upwards of 80 mph are expected. An additional Red Flag Warning has been issued starting Sunday evening through Tuesday night for the Southern Sierra, Kern County Mountains, Inyo, and the Mojave Desert.

As of Sunday, there are more than 5,000 firefighters working towards full containment on 20 wildfires in California, according to CalFire. Across the State on Saturday there were 12 new initial attack wildfires, all of which firefighters were able to contain. Firefighters in Humboldt County were also able to fully contain the 102-acre Redwood Fire near Bridgeville.

AccuWeather meteorologists expect a snowstorm to be one of the most disruptive so far this season for the western and central United States over the coming days. The snow, wind and extremely cold conditions could be a major issue for crews battling the East Troublesome Fire, which has grown to become the second-largest wildfire in Colorado history. The fire is burning the northern Colorado Rockies and has forced several communities to evacuate and Rocky Mountain National Park to be closed.

By Saturday night, however, Mother Nature will begin to lend a hand in the battle against those blazes by spreading snow into the area. Even though the snow may help to slow the spread of the fire, it could make it even more difficult for ground crews with more than a foot of snow in the forecast for the Colorado Rockies.

While there has yet to be any official announcement of fatalities or injuries from the East Troublesome Fire in Colorado, family members say they are grieving the loss of two grandparents they believe to have perished from the second-largest blaze in state history. The grandparents, Lyle and Marylin Hileman, lived in a home northwest of Grand Lake, which has since been deemed a total loss by the Sheriff’s Department, according to one of the grandchildren on Twitter. In later tweets, the grandchild added that the couple was determined to stay in their home that they had lived in for 50 years.

“No official confirmation until fire crews are able to dig into the bunker, but we’re pretty sure they passed away early last night,” the grandchildren said in a statement to FOX31 on Thursday. “The cement bunker may have kept them safe from the house collapsing and the flames, but not the 1300 degree heat. We’re deeply saddened by the loss of our grandparents, but comforted by the thought that at least they died together, just as they had wanted.”

From 19,000 acres on Wednesday night to over 170,000 acres on Friday morning, the East Troublesome Fire has made a dash for the record books and a headache for firefighters, as the blaze is now the second-largest fire in Colorado history. Incident commander Noel Livingston said the rapid explosion of growth is “really unheard of” for the Colorado timber area, according to the Denver Post. Through Thursday evening, evacuation orders were enacted for the areas around Estes Park and Fish Creek.

“It is not currently actively moving toward Estes Park as it was earlier in the day, so that’s a relief,” Livingston said on Thursday night. He added that he does not anticipate the fire merging with the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest in state history, which is also currently burning in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Thea Wasche, American Red Cross sheltering lead for the Colorado wildfires, told the Coloradoan that the organization is serving over 2,000 evacuees across 20 hotels from Wellington to Westminster.

Three weeks and over 67,000 acres later, firefighters reached complete containment of the Glass Fire in Sonoma County this week. According to Cal Fire, fire personnel reached 100% containment on Tuesday afternoon. In all, the blaze required the attention of two firefighting agencies and 185 personnel as it destroyed 1,555 structures and damaged another 282. The fire originally broke out on Sept. 27 before racing down the hillsides of Napa County and forcing widespread evacuations and causing mass destruction in the state’s wine country. According to SFist, the blaze dealt major damage to at least 20 wineries.

Despite the most destructive wildfire season on record, thousands upon thousands of Californians are without insurance for their homes after multiple years of policy discontinuations and rising rates. According to the state Department of Insurance, over 235,000 policies were discontinued in 2019, a figure which factors both policyholders that didn’t renew their previous policy and also insurers who declined to cover certain homes, CBS reported. Mark Sektnan, Vice President of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, told CBS that some insurers see areas of California are too risky due to the wildfires and the companies would rather deny coverage than give a policy that doesn’t account for the dangers and costs of property damage.

Some residents, such as Colleen Cross of Paradise, California, where the Camp Fire destroyed nearly 19,000 structures, say their insurance rates have tripled without notice. According to state policy, insurers have to go through public hearings if they want to increase rates by 7% or more. Instead, rates have quietly been increased 6.9% for years. "In a blink, my insurance went from $1,500 per year to over $4,800, more than triple what I was paying previously," Cross told CBS. "My agent said they just go by ZIP code and fire risk zones.”

Gusty winds are increasing in drought-riddled Northern California, further enhancing the risk for wildfire growth. According to AccuWeather meteorologists, the winds are expected to howl through the weekend and the fire dangers could extend farther east into states such as Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.

"Gusty winds, dry air and continued drought will combine to create elevated fire conditions across Northern California into Friday," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff. "Any ongoing blazes that have yet to be contained could grow in size in the windy weather, and new blazes that spark can spread rapidly."

Read the full story here.

In less than 24 hours, the East Troublesome Fire grew more than 100,000 acres to its current size of 125,602 acres on Thursday morning. The eruption in acreage has made the blaze the fourth-largest in Colorado history as firefighters continue to fight for containment. According to the latest update from Inciweb, the fire is 5% contained and impacting the Highway 34 corridor and Grand Lake areas. The Rocky Mountain National Park Service posted on Twitter late Wednesday night that residents in Grand Lake were being forced to evacuate during the night.

Another major point of concern for firefighting personnel is the blaze’s proximity to the Cameron Peak Fire, which is still raging as the largest wildfire in Colorado history with over 206,000 acres destroyed. According to CBS Denver, the fires are only 10 miles apart, as gusty winds continue dictating the growth and spread of the blazes.

The sheriff of Grand County Colorado has issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas north and west of the Highway 34 and Highway 40 intersection as the East Troublesome Fire in Grand County Colorado has grown rapidly. Residents are urged to go south on Highway 34 and to take an overnight bag with necessary items to leave.

Smoke obscures the sun as fire approaches a ridge along Highway 36 as several wildfires burn in the state Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, south of Lyons, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

In less than 24 hours, a Colorado wildfire scorched more than 8,700 parched acres on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of nearly 3,000 people in Boulder County, according to USA Today. The CalWood Fire ignited on Saturday in Boulder County, roughly 50 miles southeast of the Cameron Peak Fire. "It just exploded," Mike Wagner, division chief with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, said. "We do believe multiple homes were probably lost. It's still too dynamic to get in and begin to assess." A Boulder area resident, Courtney Walsh, posted photos of her destroyed home on social media. "It's all gone," Walsh tweeted. "I'm gutted."

Dangerous wildfire conditions in California have forced utility companies once again to shut off power, this time to at least 50,000 customers, The Associated Press reported. Pacific Gas & Electric started turning off power in parts of 24 counties, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada, the AP said. “These are challenging times. Not only are we right in the peak of the wildfire season... many of us are working from home, schooling from home as well,” said Mark Quinlan, PG&E's incident commander. “We recognize that hardships are introduced when we shut off power.” One new brush fire developed near the city of Redland in Southern California early Thursday, triggering a small evacuation, the AP said.

AccuWeather forecasters say a high fire danger remains in effect for California through at least Friday, as blazing heat persists. Red flag warnings currently stretch from just south of San Joses all to way north to the state border with Oregon. Excessive heat has gripped much of the state this month, but there are indications that some cooler air could return by next week.

Air quality alerts remain in effect across the Denver-Boulder metropolitan area until at least Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Moderate to heavy smoke from the Cameron Peak wildfire, the largest ever to burn in the state, will continue to filter into Larimer County on Thursday, including across Fort Collins. Less smoky conditions are anticipated in Denver, but officials warned that conditions could change throughout the day. "If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors.This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly," the NWS alert reads. "Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy."

The Cameron Peak Fire in northern Colorado became the largest blaze in state history on Wednesday, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reported. As of Thursday morning, the Cameron Peak fire has burned a total of 164,140 acres and is 56 percent contained. It has been burning since Aug. 13 in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and fire officials say high winds along with critically dry fuels have been driving the fire's rapid growth. The Coloradoan reported that a number of structures were damaged and destroyed on Wednesday, but a full damage assessment won't be done for several days. The blaze toppled the previous state record set earlier this year by the Pine Gulch Fire, which burned 139,007 acres and is fully contained. No deaths or injuries were reported Wednesday, but additional evacuation orders were issued. Prior to this year, the record for largest Colorado wildfire was held by the Hayman Fire in 2002, which scorched 137,760 acres, according to the Denver Post.

The devastating wildfire season across the western U.S. has left millions of people exposed to hazardous pollution levels, according to an Associated Press report. The AP conducted an analysis of pollution data and conducted numerous interview with physicians, health authorities and researchers. The AP's report showed that the hazardous smoke caused emergency room visits to spike and may have resulted in thousands of deaths among elderly individuals. Researchers at Stanford University estimate that as many as 3,000 individuals age 65 or older died prematurely during a six-week period starting Aug. 1, while University of Washington research believe that hundreds of deaths could have occurred in Washington as a result of the poor air quality.

In Salem, Oregon, people already suffering from respiratory issues started showing up at the hospital where pulmonologist Martin Johnson works almost immediately after the harmful smoke poured over the region last month. Johnson told the AP people started calling his office almost immediately after the smoke arrived as they were struggling to breathe. While most of his patients are expected to recover, he said that some could have permanent loss of lung function. Johnson added that some people who recently died were hidden victims, or people who died from heart attacks or other issues that were triggered by the smoky air. “Many won’t show up at the hospital or they’ll die at home or they’ll show up at hospice for other reasons, such as pneumonia or other complications,” Johnson said. The Salem area experienced hazardous air quality levels for at least eight days, according to the AP's report.

Sixteen firefighters battling the Glass Fire were evaluated for possible exposure to carbon monoxide in Santa Rosa, California, on Tuesday. Cal Fire spokesman Dave Lauchner reported one firefighter was admitted to the hospital and 15 were examined and released back to work. “It’s the first time I’ve heard of a large exposure like this,” Cal Fire spokesman Robert Foxworthy said. “We have medical staff on-site, including doctors and nurses that are assigned to the incident, that are on this premises and that is where they are doing those evaluations,” said Cal Fire spokesman Robert Foxworthy. Officials did not disclose the location of the potential exposure. “I think the are trying to confirm that right now,“ Lauchner said. ”I don’t think anyone is 100% positive where it was.“ As of Tuesday evening, the Glass Fire has burned 66,840 acres and is 50% contained.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2020, file photo, a firefighter rubs his head while watching the LNU Lightning Complex fires spread through the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif. Deadly wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres (6,250 square miles) this year — more than double the previous record for the most land burned in a single year in the state. California fire officials said the state hit the astonishing milestone Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020 with about two months remaining in the fire season. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

On Sunday, firefighters responded to 26 new wildfires, bringing full containment to all but one, the Lambert Fire in Amador County. Temperatures will remain warm on Monday across California and humidity recover remains slow, continuing the increased fire danger, Cal Fire reports. Locally gusty winds continue over the next few days on the west edge of the Sacramento Valley, the North and East Bay, and Southern California mountain ranges.

Five of the largest wildfires in California history have occurred this year. There is still the potential to experience more large and damaging wildfires. Cal Fire is asking residents to remain prepared. Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,300 wildfires that have scorched more than 4 million acres in California. To date, the total number of fatalities statewide is 31 and over 8,687 structures have been destroyed. More than 16,600 firefighters continue to work towards containment on 23 major wildfires and one extended attack wildfire across California.

Here are the latest wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 1,002,097 acres, 54% contained 

• Creek Fire: 322,089, 48% contained 

• Glass Fire: 65,580 acres, 30% contained

• Zogg Fire: 56,305 acres, 76% contained

• Lambert Fire: 21 acres, 50% contained

The massive August Complex Fire has scorched more than 1 million acres, an area larger than Rhode Island, according to Fox News. Since sparking on August 10, the 1 million acres destroyed by this fire complex is far more than the average total area burned across the entire state in the past 5 years. The August Complex Fire is currently 54% contained, according to Cal Fire. Collectively the California wildfires have scorched more than 4 million acres. “Since CAL FIRE officially began recording state responsibility fire figures in 1933, all large fire years have remained well below the 4 million-acre mark for acreage burned, until now. This year is far from over and fire potential remains high,” Cal Fire said in a tweet.

The new mark for the August Complex Fire in the Coast Range between San Francisco and the Oregon state line on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, surpassed 1 million acres. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

(AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

With two months still remaining in its wildfire season, California officials reported more than 4 million acres have burned from fires across the state this year. This years acreage count more than doubles the previous record of 1.67 million acres across the state that was set two years ago, The Associated Press reported. The fires have burned an area larger than the entire state of Connecticut. The AP reported that almost all of the damage from the fires came after mid-August from five of the six largest fires in California history engulfed the state. Most of the damage was located in Northern California.

A firefighter walks a path as the Glass Fire burns along Highway 29 in Calistoga, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A Fire Weather Warning is in effect for very Northeastern California this afternoon for strong, gusty winds with low humidity in the Tulelake Basin region, according to Cal Fire. While Red Flag conditions have subsided, warm temperatures and low humidity continue to challenge crews’ efforts. On Saturday, firefighters also responded to 27 new wildfires, bringing full containment to all. Temperatures will remain warm Sunday across California, but a cooling trend is expected to begin slowly, decreasing temperatures slightly each day. Locally gusty winds are expected during the next few days on the west edge of the Sacramento Valley, the North and East Bay, and Southern California mountain ranges. More than 16,500 firefighters continue to work towards containment on 23 major wildfires across the state.

Here are the latest wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 984,804 acres, 51% contained 

• Creek Fire: 313,660 acres, 49% contained 

• Glass Fire: 63,450 acres, 15% contained

• Zogg Fire: 56,305 acres, 68% contained

The heat and drought that has plagued much of the West these past few months is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future -- and the results could be dangerous.
Throughout the region, the lack of rain is anticipated to last through at least Tuesday and perhaps even longer. The dry weather, which is already a wildfire factor on its own, could combine with strong winds in Southern California to fan any new or existing fires. No extreme wind events are expected in the next few days, however. Next week, or even as late as next weekend, temperatures could lower, humidity could rise and for places like Washington, Oregon and California, rain and clouds could finally be on the horizon. Read the full forecast here.

Firefighters continue to have their hands full with the destructive Glass Fire which is raging through California's wine country. The fire has burned 56,781 acres and remains only 5% contained, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and evacuation orders remain in effect. AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell spoke to several victims of the fire-ravaged community of Deer Park, located in Napa County. One man told Wadell that he didn't evacuate initially in order to stay behind with his animals. But as the flames got perilously close to his property, he managed to flee just in the nick of time. Click here to watch a video report from Wadell and view damage photos from the area.

Two weeks after students had returned to the classrooms at Foothills Adventist Elementary School & Preschool in Saint Helena, California, the Glass Fire damaged multiple buildings and destroyed the school's main building. (AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)

(AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)

An act of kindness to firefighters has gone viral, causing Baby Yoda to take the hearts of millions across the world. Five-year-old Carver Tinning of Scappoose, Oregon, told his grandmother that he wanted to help out firefighters who were putting their lives on the line fighting the raging infernos across the state. While shopping for supplies for a local donation drive, Carver saw a Baby Yoda toy that he instantly knew he wanted. Carver didn't want the toy for himself, but rather to donate to the firefighters. Carver gave the toy along with a note that read, "Thank you Fire Fighters. Here is a friend for you in case you get lonely. Love, Carver" to the donation drive. Click here to read the full story and get the firefighters' reaction to the kind gesture.

(Facebook/BabyYodaFightsFires)

Cal Fire investigators are examining a secluded vineyard in Napa Valley as they try to determine the origin and cause that sparked the Glass Fire. Investigators were analyzing burn patterns and using surveying equipment, concentrating on an area with equipment near an electric fence that surrounds the property, KTVU reported. “I know our investigators are out there currently trying to track down and eliminate all the things that didn’t start it and figure out what it was that did,” Robert Foxworthy, a Cal Fire spokesman told KTVU. The Glass Fire has currently burned 48,440 acres and is 2% contained.

Here are the latest updated wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 949,055 acres, 47% contained

• SCU Lightning Complex: 396,624 acres, 98% contained

• LNU Lightning Complex: 363,220 acres, 98% contained 

• North Complex Fire: 314,949 acres, 79% contained 

• Creek Fire: 307,051 acres, 44% contained 

• SQF Complex Fire: 151,426 acres, 61% contained

• Zogg Fire: 51,955 acres, 7% contained

• Glass Fire: 48,440 acres, 2% contained

Correction: This post previously said the August Complex Fire was approaching 100,000 acres. It is approaching 1 million acres.

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect beginning this evening in Monterey County and the North Bay, potentially affecting the Glass Fire. High temperatures and low humidity levels are set to continue across much of California throughout the week. Cal Fire warns locally gusty winds could be experienced in the Sierra and associated foothills, and southern California mountain regions. Cal Fire reports crews contained the Fox Fire in Siskiyou County as wind conditions improved on Tuesday. More than 17,000 firefighters worked to gain ground on the remaining 26 major wildfires across the state, while crews across the State also responded to 26 new wildfires.

A fourth death has been confirmed as the result of the fast-moving Zogg Fire burning in Shasta County, authorities reported Wednesday. The latest victim, a man who was not identified, was airlifted to U.C. Davis Medical Center’s burn unit on Sunday with significant burns but succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday night, Shasta County Sheriff Eric Magrini said during a Wednesday morning news conference. “It’s unfortunate, my condolences go out to a fourth death that we’ve had as a result of this,” Magrini said. “This was an individual who was evacuated with significant burns on the day of the origin of this fire. So again, our condolences go out to that family.” The additional fatality brings the death toll in California to 30 from what has been a historic wildfire season.

A school in Napa County, California, has become the latest structure claimed by the intense western wildfires in the state's wine country.  The Glass Fire swept through the campus of Foothills Adventist Elementary and Preschool in Saint Helena, California, damaging and even destroying some buildings with classrooms. With the Glass Fire having scorched over 48,000 acres and at only 2% contained as of Wednesday morning, local time, families can only wait for evacuation orders to be lifted. “This is the second time we’ve had to leave our home in the last month,” Laurie Turjillo from the Northern California Conference of SDA told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

However, this is not the first time the school has burnt down, according to Trujillo. “This is the second time it’s been destroyed by a fire. But we’ve rebuilt and continue serving the kids.” The destruction of the school comes only two weeks after students had returned to school after COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted. Due to families waiting for evacuation orders to be lifted along with  processing and assessing if any of their property had been caught in the flames, Trujillo said there will be a pause on education. “Bad things happen,” Trujillo said. “We don’t have control over the bad things, however our response to it is we just gotta keep moving forward.”

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through Tuesday night for the mountains and inland valleys in Riverside and San Diego Counties. Cal Fire warns strong high pressure continues to keep temperatures above normal across much of the inland areas of California. On Monday, critical fire weather continued to fan multiple fast-moving wildfires, as more than 18,700 firefighters continue to battle 27 major wildfires, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters across the State responded to 19 new wildfires, one of which, in Los Angeles County, is still burning. Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 8,100 wildfires that have burned well over 3.8 million acres in California.

The latest outlook from the United States Drought Monitor shows that 92% of the western United States is suffering from some extent of dryness, with over 50% in the severe to exceptional drought category. These conditions are likely to only worsen heading into early October, with no signs of rain on the way. This heat dome is exactly the opposite of what the wildfire-stricken region needs.

Here are the latest updated wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 938,044 acres, 43% contained

• SCU Lightning Complex: 396,624 acres, 98% contained

• LNU Lightning Complex: 363,220 acres, 98% contained 

• North Complex Fire: 308,995 acres, 76% contained 

• Creek Fire: 304,240 acres, 44% contained 

• SQF Complex Fire: 150,800 acres, 58% contained

• Glass Fire: 42,560 acres, 0% contained

• Zogg Fire: 40,317 acres, 0% contained

Norma Torres of Napa County has never seen a scene like this. Speaking with AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell, Torres said this is the first time she has ever had to evacuate due to a wildfire.

“I have an 11-year-old and a 1-year-old, so there’s a lot I have to take care of,” she told Wadell.

The family fled from their homes to a church that had been turned into an evacuation center, but doesn’t know what scene they may return home to.

“Right now, in this kind of state of mind, you have to remain calm,” Jose Vega of Calistoga, who previously survived the Hidden Valley Fire of 2015, told Wadell. “There’s nothing you can do that’s going to change it. You got to stay positive even though it looks crazy right now.”

AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell has captured many of the grim conditions facing wineries in Northern California, particularly in Napa Valley. In Napa County, the entire town of Calistoga and its over 5,000 residents were forced to evacuate as the region faces the threat of the Glass Fire.

Multiple wineries are among the 113 structures destroyed by the blaze thus far.

Wildfires strike wineries in Northern California

The Zogg Fire triggered a state of emergency declaration in Shasta County on Monday night. California Gov. Gavin Newsom made the declaration after the fire grew to 31,237 acres and killed three people. As of Tuesday morning, the fire has 0% containment.

The fire is closely situated to the Glass Fire, which has forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, including the entire town of Calistoga. Early Tuesday morning, firefighters told KRON4 that the blaze was “playing nicely” as it moved away from homes.

The Glass Fire, currently burning in the counties of Napa and Sonoma, tripled in size on Monday and poses a huge threat to northern California’s wineries. According to Cal Fire, the blaze has destroyed 113 structures since beginning on Sunday, forcing the evacuations of nearly 34,000 people. “Although we don’t have a specific number, we know there have been home losses in the burn areas and our collective hearts go out to call who have lost their homes in the fire thus far,” the Sonoma Sheriff’s office said.

Among the destroyed structures was the Chateau Boswell Winery, according to KPIX. The famed winery was one of just a handful of privately-owned family wineries in Napa Valley. “We are simply heartbroken,” the owners told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Here are the latest updated wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 902,463 acres, 45% contained

  • Per fire officials, a gusty Monday pushed the blaze west and forced new evacuation orders to the Trinity County line and evacuation warnings in Humboldt County. "Many roads are impassable due to fire and fallen trees," Cal Fire wrote. "The fire remains extremely active; winds are carrying embers well beyond containment lines, and there is high potential for the fire to develop an active plume."

• SCU Lightning Complex: 396,624 acres, 98% contained

• LNU Lightning Complex: 363,220 acres, 98% contained 

• North Complex Fire: 306,135 acres, 78% contained 

• Creek Fire: 304,604 acres, 39% contained 

• SQF Complex Fire: 150,744 acres, 54% contained

• Glass Fire: 36,236 acres, 0% contained

A city-wide evacuation order has been issued for Calistoga as the Glass Fire continues to rage in California's Napa Valley. The small city is home to just over 5,300 residents. Officials report that there has been no damage within the city limits, but that the fire has caused significant damage just outside of town. The Glass Fire has exploded in size since beginning early Sunday morning, with acreage burned now at 36,236 and containment at 0%, according to Cal Fire.

At least three people have died in the fast-moving Zogg Fire located west of Redding in Shasta County, authorities said Monday. The wildfire ignited before 3 p.m. on Sunday and has since burned at least 15,000 acres, causing many to quickly flee their homes. Shasta County Sheriff-Coroner Eric Magrini announced the deaths in a press conference on Monday. “It’s with a sad heart that I come before you today to say we’ve had three deaths as a result of this fire thus far,” Magrini said. “Our coroner’s office is working diligently to identify the decedents and notify next of kin.” Mandatory evacuations remain in effect in the area, according to CBS Sacramento. The Associated Press reported that the three fatalities bring the total death toll from wildfires in California this season up to 29.

Here are the latest wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 878,470 acres, 45% contained 

• SCU Lightning Complex: 396,624 acres, 98% contained

• LNU Lightning Complex: 363,220 acres, 98% contained 

• North Complex Fire: 306,135 acres, 78% contained 

• Creek Fire: 304,604 acres, 39% contained 

• Zogg Fire: 15,000 acres, 0% contained

• Glass Fire: 11,000 acres, 0% contained

Meteorologists are forecasting a hot and dry spell to settle in throughout the western United States this week, making the region feel more like summer than fall. With high temperatures 10-20 degrees warmer than average for this time of the year, firefighters will continue to battle Mother Nature. In Los Angeles, where the Bobcat Fire has consumed over 114,000 acres, temperatures could reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the Pacific Northwest, where firefighting crews were previously given some assistance with some much-needed rain, temperatures could reach near-record territory.
 

“Around San Francisco, the peak of the heat will occur on Monday as strong offshore winds push temperatures into the middle to upper 90s,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said. “These same gusty winds are wrecking havoc on the wildfire situation across Northern California. Beyond Monday, the wind will change direction and blow in more from the Pacific Ocean, causing temperatures to fall back into the 80s in the Bay Area.”

At the Oakmont Village retirement community in Santa Rosa, elderly residents were frantically evacuated to safety on early Monday morning. According to KPIX, busloads of residents, many in wheelchairs, were first taken to the Santa Rosa Veteran Auditorium before being moved again shortly after 3 a.m. due to further caution. Elsewhere in Sonoma County, police officers raced through neighborhoods going door-to-door to spread the evacuation orders. More than 10,000 residents from over 6,500 homes were evacuated early Monday.

An emergency responder evacuates an Oakmont Gardens senior home resident as the Shady Fire approaches in Santa Rosa Calif., Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

“We have way more homes to protect than engines to protect them,” Sonoma County Fire District Chief Mark Heine said. With half a dozen homes destroyed and thousands forced to evacuate, Heine stressed the need for more firefighting resources for his overwhelmed team. On Sunday night, the county issued an “all call,” according to the Press Democrat, asking for all available firefighting resources to join the firefight. Heine said that by 1 a.m., roughly 40 Sonoma County fire engine crews were battling the fire in addition to Cal Fire resources.

After going missing on Sept. 7, well-known environmental activist in Oregon George Atiyeh was confirmed dead by authorities on Saturday. Atiyeh, 72, is believed to be the fifth fatality from the Beach Creek Fire, which formed from two previously separate fires located in Opal Creek and Santiam Canyon.At over 192,000 acres, the fire is 58% contained as of Monday at midnight, according to inciweb. "Although we are saddened that this was the final outcome, we are thankful to finally have closure," his daughter, Aniese Mitchell, said. "We appreciate all the love and support from family, friends and community.” Read the full story here.

The Glass Fire, which ignited early Sunday morning in Napa County, has rapidly grown to 2,500 acres in size, according to Cal Fire. The Chateau Boswell Winery in St. Helena, California, is among multiple structures burning in the flames, and there are several reports of trapped civilians. Fire crews are facing difficult weather conditions while battling this and other blazes across the region, including extremely low humidity and gusty winds.

Early on Sunday morning, the Glass Fire ignited in Napa County and rapidly grew from 20 acres to 800 acres. According to Cal Fire, more than 17,000 firefighters remain on the front lines battling the blazes. On Saturday, firefighters made progress on a number of the fires, as well as containing 17 new initial attack wildfires that occurred across the State. The Glass Fire could spread further by winds that are expected throughout the day. Evacuation orders are in place and an evacuation center has been opened at the Crosswalk Community Church in Napa, according to the Napa County Office of Emergency Services.

COVID-19 cases are rising in Oregon and the state's recent wildfires, which erupted earlier this month, likely played a role in the coronavirus uptick, Oregon Health Authority spokesperson Tim Heider told ABC News on Saturday. The state agency reported 457 new cases on Friday — the single highest daily total since the pandemic began, according to ABC News.

Here are the latest wildfire numbers, provided by Cal Fire:

• August Complex: 870,200 acres, 43% contained 

• SCU Lightning Complex: 396,624 acres, 98% contained

• LNU Lightning Complex: 363,220 acres, 98% contained 

• North Complex Fire: 304,881 acres, 78% contained 

• Creek Fire: 292,830, 39% contained 

• Glass Fire: 20 acres

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced that the power would be shut off in portions of 16 counties due to the anticipated conditions, impacting nearly 89,000 customers.

Northern California will have gusty east and northeast winds through Monday, including where the largest fires continue to burn, according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

A significant warm up begins Saturday that will stretch across California with a chance of record-breaking highs in some areas. Locally gusty winds may also occur, bringing elevated fire danger, according to Cal Fire. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for gusty winds, high heat, and low humidity beginning Saturday through Monday, affecting areas including the East Bay Hills and interior valleys, and North Bay Mountains. With no significant precipitation in sight, California remains dry and ripe for wildfires. In areas where rain has fallen this week, such as in part of the Northwest, the fire danger has been lowered. "Since the Pacific Northwest has gotten a thorough soaking, the risk of new wildfires being sparked amid the warmth will be low," Duff said. Unfortunately, rain was still absent this week, and has been for months, in some locations. In those areas, the fire danger will continue to be extremely high.

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect beginning Saturday morning through Monday over a large portion of Northern California for gusty winds and low humidity, bringing critical fire weather conditions. Crews continue to battle 25 major wildfires in California with more than 17,400 firefighters on the front lines. Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 8,000 wildfires that have burned well over 3.6 million acres in California, according to Cal Fire. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 6,900 structures destroyed.

Despite the approaching spread of the largest wildfire in the history of California, many residents in Post Mountain and Trinity Pines are refusing to evacuate. Why? Because the communities are home to millions of dollars worth of cannabis farms. “It’s mainly growers,” Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Nate Trujillo said, according to The Associated Press. “And a lot of them, they don’t want to leave because that is their livelihood.” According to local authorities, an estimated 1,000 people remain in the two towns even as the August Complex grows closer and closer. People familiar with the area said there are up to 40 legal cannabis growing farms in the area, with possibly many more hidden illegally. Each farm has about half a million dollars or more of crop growing, Trujillo said. “There (are) millions of dollars, millions and millions of dollars of marijuana out there,” he said. “Some of those plants are 16 feet tall, and they are all in the budding stages of growth right now.”

After a dangerously hot and dry summer in the Western U.S. helped fuel the devastating wildfire season, the flip to autumn won't bring a reprieve for residents or firefighters. According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson, favorable rainfall that helped areas of Washington and Oregon in recent days is expected to be replaced with a heat wave that could challenge record highs throughout the West Coast. Temperatures in many cities could reach highs of 10-20 degrees above normal. AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said that the Pacific Northwest may be spared from renewed wildfire worries because of the area’s recent rain. "However, farther south where 90s and triple-digit heat will reign and no rain has fallen in months, the upcoming heat wave will only worsen the ongoing drought and wildfire situation," Duff said.

The Creek Fire may show up as the sixth-largest blaze in California history on many lists, but among individual, single blazes, the Shaver Lake-based fire is the largest in California state history, ranking only behind complex fires. The 2020 wildfire season has featured five of the six largest wildfires in state history, four of which are complex fires. Previously, the Thomas Fire from 2017 was the largest non-complex fire in state history.

As of Friday morning, the Creek Fire has consumed 291,426 acres and is 34% contained, according to Cal Fire. The blaze has damaged or destroyed over 900 structures and required the attention of 3,085 fire personnel across 41 crews.

Here are the latest updated wildfire totals, per statistics kept by the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Nationwide: 77 large fires, 3.709 million acres burning

• California: 21 large fires, 2.166 million acres burned

• Oregon: 12 fires, 967,834 acres burned

• Washington: 7 fires, 48,052 acres burned

According to officials from Cal Fire, firefighters were tasked with dealing with "23 new initial attack wildfires across the State, all of which were quickly contained." Favorable conditions in Northern California are expected to give firefighters some reprieve, although seasonably warm temperatures throughout the rest of the state will likely give crews headaches through the weekend.

Many vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington have survived the direct, fiery impacts of this year’s wildfire season, but it may be the smoke that deals an unexpected disaster for the 2020 crop of grapes.

While the full extent of the smoke’s severity will be unclear until harvest, growers are worried that if smoke-wilted grapes are made into wine, the result could be wine so bad that it cannot be marketed, The Associated Press reported. John Aguirre, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers told The AP that some wineries are not accepting grapes that they had previously agreed to purchase unless the batches are tested for smoke taint. According to one tasting card, the taste of smoke-damaged wine can be compared to that of "fecal plastic," The AP reported. The taste issue was first noticed in Australia after wildfires in 2003, which led to over $286 million of lost grapes and wine revenue until 2015. After all of the hurdles that wineries have faced this year, Aguirre said the industry has been hammered. “I’m fully expecting a plague of locusts to descend and maybe 40 days of night,” Aguirre said. “I mean, it’s just nuts.” Click here to watch a video for more about the impact the smoke can have on the grapes.

Autumn has arrived, but widespread heat is expected across most of the western U.S., bringing an elevated fire threat across the region heading into October. A heat dome will develop over the entire western U.S. next week with temperatures topping out in the triple digits in parts of California and the interior Southwest. Offshore winds are also forecast to develop amid the heat, another ingredient for a high fire risk. "When the winds blow offshore, they transport the hot and very dry air from interior areas right to the coast. In some places, where they blow from higher to lower elevation, the air heats up even more as it descends," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rossio. Residents across the region should prepare now for the high fire risk as well as the potential for heat-related power outages.

Besides in the western U.S., wildfires are causing issues elsewhere around the world. In Russia, firefighters have been dealing with a number of particularly difficult wildfires to contain. These blazes have also been found burning across the Arctic, and have erupted above the ground in Canada and Greenland in addition to Russia. Known as "zombie" fires, these blazes burn underground and are able to survive the brutal Russian winters, AFP reports. The zombie fires can last longer than traditional fires, burning for months in some cases. Watch the video below for more. 

More than two dozen lives have been lost amid the numerous infernos that have amounted to a record-breaking wildfire season in California thus far. However, two Stanford University researchers say the indirect death toll from those wildfires is much higher. In a recent study, Marshall Burke, an associate professor at Stanford, and Sam Heft-Neal a researcher at the university, argued that the death toll caused by extreme wildfire smoke, which darkened skies over Northern California earlier this month, is responsible for at least 1,200 fatalities that would not have otherwise occurred. According to their calculations, that death toll could even be as high as 3,000. The researchers attribute these deaths to people above the age of 65, which they say number 6 million in California, and comprise those already suffering from pre-existing conditions like heart disease and respiratory ailments, among others. “We arrive at 1,200 excess deaths (deaths that would not have happened otherwise) and 4,800 additional ER visits among the elderly,” Burke and Heft-Neal wrote in the study, adding that as many as 3,000 excess fatalities could have been caused by the smoke though Sept. 10. They emphasize that this represents excess deaths in California alone. Washington and Oregon have also been hard hit and similar effects could be happening there. “Clean air is much more important than we realize,” Burke told The Mercury News. “When you look at it on a population level, you can see very clearly that breathing clean air has huge public health benefits, and breathing dirty air has disastrous consequences.” AccuWeather readers around the world can monitor air quality in their neighborhoods by clicking on this link and observing real-time air quality data provided by Plume Labs.

Patrick Kenefick, left, and Dana Williams, both of Mill Valley, Calif., record the darkened Golden Gate Bridge covered with smoke from wildfires Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, from a pier at Fort Baker near Sausalito, Calif. The photo was taken at 9:47 a.m. in the morning. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Here are the latest updated wildfire totals, per statistics kept by the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Nationwide: 76 large fires, 3.716 million acres burning

• California: 22 fires, 2.145 million acres burned

• Oregon: 12 fires, 967,398 acres burned

• Washington: 7 fires, 48,052 acres burned

The Lime Fire in Arizona, located 12 miles southwest of St. George, Utah, and the Virgin Mountain Fire in Nevada were the two new blazes reported by the NIFC on Wednesday. Although both fires initially seemed like smaller blazes, the Virgin Mountain Fire grew to 1,600 acres with 0% containment on Thursday morning. The Bureau of Land Management shared that the fire was ignited by a lightning strike on Monday afternoon.

Since it first began burning on Sept. 6 in the Angeles National Forest, the Bobcat Fire, one of the largest in history for Los Angeles County, is now up to 113,000 acres. Over 1,500 firefighting personnel are on hand, and a cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Containment on the fire is up to 38% thanks to the hard work of firefighters, officials said. Maxar's Worldview-3 satellite captured images of the Bobcat Fire on Monday, which provide a unique look at the size of the fire and how close it is the historic Mount Wilson Observatory, which firefighters are working hard to protect. 

Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies

A mountain lion was spotted near playing children in a California neighborhood, seemingly stalking them, according to The Independent. Footage of the cat was captured as it watched the two kids riding their bikes in Pacifica, near San Francisco. “I thought it was somebody’s dog that had gotten into the yard and I was like, ‘Hey get out of here!’ Then it turned and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God! It’s a mountain lion!’” Timothy Kerrisk told NBC Bay Area.The mountain lion was later seen jumping the fence, ducking under a truck before bolting. The animal was being tracked by the Bay Area Puma Project, which said many animals have been driven from their normal homes by the California wildfires and for residents to not panic. “Residents should expect to see activity from this cat here and there, but there’s nothing abnormal or scary or threatening about its behavior thus far,” Zara McDonald of the Puma Project said. The group called this specific cat a “people observer.” Watch the video of the mountain lion below.

Here are the latest updated wildfire totals, per statistics kept by the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Nationwide: 75 large fires, 3.738 million acres burning

• California: 22 fires, 2.207 million acres burned

• Oregon: 13 fires, 965,103 acres burned

• Washington: 7 fires, 48,052 acres burned

A new Oregon fire, dubbed the Ritter Fire, has drawn the attention of firefighting crews just north of Long Creek near the Umatilla National Forest. Over the summer, the Meacham Complex fire burned in a nearby area. The Ritter Fire fire quickly grew to nearly 700 acres earlier this week, forcing the evacuations of several homes on Monday before aerial suppression efforts managed to slow the spread enough to allow firefighters on the ground space to engage the blaze and build a fireline, according to The Blue Mountain Eagle.

As if wildfires tearing through forests and towns isn’t scary enough, fires away from the visible eye are also burning in Oregon. Active fires are burning underground in the state that has already been charred this season by wildfires burning in forests and mountainous regions. Don Tesdal, a volunteer firefighter, told KGW.com that hidden underground fires in root systems can burn for months without being detected. The fires weaken the strength of the ground above them, making firefighting conditions even more dangerous near large root systems. “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if we still have a lot of this stuff going on well into February," Tesdal said. Watch the video below from KGW reporter Keely Chalmers to see how these underground fires burn and why they are a lot worse than they might look.

The Bobcat Fire is now threatening over 1,000 homes in Los Angeles County, according to The Associated Press. As the fire is fueled by the dry brush and timber in the mountains located to the northeast of Los Angeles, the blaze has grown to 106,179 acres and is at 13% containment, according to Inciweb.

The blaze has destroyed or damaged at least 30 structures with many other areas of impact awaiting assessment. Flareups from the fire near Mount Wilson occupied firefighting crews on Monday as the fuel from the mountainous region could have enhanced the fire’s spread into more populated areas. On Monday night, officials enacted evacuation orders for about 4,000 residents from over 1,000 homes in the areas of Pasadena, home of the Rose Bowl, and Wrightwood.
 

“The area around Mt. Wilson experienced unfavorable wind conditions through the afternoon delaying strategic firing operations. Fire crews worked on the fire perimeter near Pinon Ridge where there was increased fire activity,” officials said on Monday, according to Inciweb. “Additionally, near Dawson Saddle saw increased activity as the fire pushed to Hwy 2 where resources remained in place.”

Here are the latest updated wildfire totals, per statistics kept by the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Nationwide: 78 large fires, 3.084 million acres burning

• California: 22 fires, 2.185 million acres burned

• Oregon: 12 fires, 963,685 acres burned

• Washington: 7 fires, 47,897 acres burned

Firefighting crews managed to make further containment on numerous major blazes in the western US, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. In Washington, the state Department of Transportation was able to fully reopen a major roadway that had previously been restricted due to fire and smoke hazards.

Multiple days of rain at the end of this week may be just what firefighters and residents of the Pacific Northwest have been praying for, but that good news could arrive with some troubles, particularly in burn scar locations. Burn scars in areas of higher elevation can lead to flooding and mudslide risks in the event of heavy rain. According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff, a general 1-2 inches may fall along the coast and higher amounts could fall along the Cascades and over the Olympic Peninsula.

Farther south, some rain could dip into northwestern California, near where the Red Salmon Complex is currently burning, but the majority of the midweek showers aren’t likely the alleviate the bulk of California’s struggles. On the contrary, dry conditions and whipping winds are likely to enhance the fire risk later this week.

Here are the latest updated wildfire totals, per statistics kept by the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Nation-wide: 80 large fires, 4.045 million acres burning

• California: 22 fires, 2.156 million acres burned

• Oregon: 12 fires, 959,358 acres burned

• Washington: 8 fires, 237,436 acres burned

The Bobcat fire in Los Angeles County grew rapidly over the weekend, exploding to 103,135 acres thanks to gusty winds and low humidity, threatening notable structures and destroying the Los Angeles County Parks’ Nature Center. The August Complex and the North Complex fires both continue to rage on as the largest blazes in California state history while the Pearl Hill Fire and the Cold Springs Fire remains the largest blazes in Washington. In Oregon, five wildfires have burned over 100,000 acres, led by the Lionshead Fire and Beachie Creek Fire, which have merged to burn nearly 200,000 acres, according to Inciweb.

The Bobcat fire in Los Angeles County, California, has now engulfed more than 103,000 acres, making it one of the largest fires in the county’s history. The fire initially sparked in the Angeles National Forest on Sept. 6 and has erupted across the county as 30-mph winds whipped through the area during a period of low humidity. As of Sunday night, the containment remained at 15%, according to Inciweb. The fire has already destroyed the Los Angeles County Parks' Nature Center, although park staff and animals were left unharmed, and The Angeles National Forest said in a public statement that the Bobcat fire was "threatening all of the values” on Mt. Wilson’s peak, including historical Mt. Wilson Observatory. On Friday, the building was declared safe after firefighters worked to mitigate the flames, UPI reported. The fire continues to spread through Juniper Hills, Valyermo and Big Pine, all located north of Los Angeles.

Satellite images from NASA show how winds were able to carry smoke from record-breaking wildfires in the west throughout the country, all the way to the east coast. Small particles known as aerosols are suspended in the smokey air, which can cause health risks if inhaled. "The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into your lungs. They can cause a range of health problems, from burning eyes and a runny nose to aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases. Exposure to particle pollution is even linked to premature death," according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

California historically experiences some of the most devastating wildfires in the months of September and October. On Sunday, breezy conditions in the Santa Barbara County, Los Angeles Mountains and Antelope Valley continue contributing to poor humidity recovery, according to Cal Fire. Warm conditions remain through most of California and will continue into the week. An upper ridge of high pressure is expected to bring warmer and dry conditions to Southern California with a chance of wind events starting mid-week.

Containment continues to increase due to the efforts of firefighters fighting 27 major wildfires in California, according to a Cal Fire summary on Sunday. With nearly 19,000 firefighters on the front lines, crews continue to gain ground on these fires. There have been more 7,900 wildfires that have burned more than 3.5 million acres in California since the beginning of 2020. There have been 26 fatalities and over 6,100 structures destroyed since August 15 when California’s fire activity elevated. 

Rain chances will continue across the Pacific Northwest on Saturday and may even linger for some higher elevations into Sunday. This rain, coupled with cooler and more humid air, will help to suppress hazardous fire weather conditions through the weekend. Even for areas in the region that miss out on measurable rain, increased humidity levels will work to suppress the threat of fire ignition and spread.

In addition to suppressed fire danger, air quality will also get a boost as a result of this system. Read the whole story here.

The El Dorado Fire, which was initially set by a pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party, claimed the life of a firefighter on Thursday. According to a statement from the San Bernardino National Forest Service, the cause of the fatality is under investigation. According to Inciweb, the El Dorado Fire had burned more than 21,000 acres and is 66% contained as of Friday morning.

In this Aug. 24, 2020, file photo, fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

As of Friday, Sept. 18, data from the National Interagency Fire Center indicates that 10 different states are reporting at least one large fire, led by California with 21 such blazes. Nine of those fires have burned over 100,000 acres, led by the record-setting August Complex blaze burning in Glenn, Mendocino, Lake, Tehama and Trinity counties.

In the Northwest Area Coordination Center, wildfires in Oregon and Washington have burned a total of 1,894,689 acres, led by the Beachie Fire in Oregon and a complex fire in eastern Washington that left nearly the entire town of Malden destroyed.

As wildfires spread across Oregon and thousands in the state were forced to evacuate their homes, a few individuals have returned to witness firsthand what they described as the "unimaginable" destruction in the town of Talent.

Bow DeBey, 44, a resident of Talent, Oregon, was at work in Ashland when the evacuation was announced, so he didn't have the opportunity to grab any belongings earlier. When he returned to his home after evacuating, his house was still OK, so he decided to grab his bike and travel around the still-burning town to document the damage. See the full story here.

Residents across the western U.S. can monitor the air quality levels in their neighborhood with AccuWeather’s Air Quality page, which includes detailed air quality forecasts.